Patients with kidney diseases are often often confused what have caused their
high creatinine. Actually, continuous high creatinine level most probably
indicate severe kidney function declination. To know it better, we will talk
about causes and symptoms of high creatinine so as to help make an early finding
of the illness condition.
What are the causes of high creatinine?
To begin with, we'll first learn about what is creatinine. Creatinine is a
metabolic waste in the blood which is mainly filtered by glomeruli and
eliminated with urine. The chemical waste is a by-product of normal muscle
contractions. Creatinine produced each day remains unchanged because muscle mass
stays the same.
Normal creatinine range differs with gender. Compared with men, women usually
have lower creatinine levels compared, because women have less muscle tissue.
Among adults without kidney disease, men have approximately 0.6 to 1.2
milligrams/deciliters (mg/dL) of creatinine, while women have between 0.5 to 1.1
mg/dL. Besides, those who eat a lot of meat or build muscles through weight
training or other exercise may show higher amounts of creatinine.
As serum creatinine is mainly filtrated and excreted by our kidneys, any
cause that damages the function of the kidneys will probably raise the
creatinine level in the blood. What we should do is to recognize whether the
process leading to kidney dysfunction is longstanding or recent.
The most common causes of longstanding kidney disease in adults are high
blood pressure and Diabetes Mellitus. High serum creatinine may also be caused
by ingestion of large amount of dietary meat. Other reasons may also cause high
serum creatinine, which can be seen as follows:
1. Dehydration can lead to elevated creatinine by causing blood fluid
concentration and reduction of kidney blood flow.
2. Nephrotoxic medicines taken by those with kidney diseases can lead to
elevated creatinine, which can be irreversible.
3. Over fatigue may lead to intermittent high serum creatinine.
For those with continuous high serum creatinine, a timely treatment is
necessary because it most probably indicate severe kidney damage.
Symptoms of high creatinine
Symptoms of high levels of creatinine in the blood are the same as kidney
failure symptoms. Some people find out they have kidney failure when extreme
creatinine amounts show up in routine blood tests, without feeling any symptoms
at all. Yet symptoms as follows may be found in some patients: dehydration,
weakness, or feeling tired, confusion and shortness of breath.
As high serum creatinine is so closely linked to kidney function and may
indicate severe kidney damage, it is necessary for patients to prevent risk
factors and take timely treatment, especially for those with continuous high
serum creatinine.
